Birthday brunch

My birthday brunch was a lot of fun. After having so much work to do on assignments, I haven't had much time to socialize, so it was great! Unfortunately, with exams coming up, I only have time for a quick post to share some pics , and say that the scones were divine! one of my friends said that she has only once before tasted amazing scones, and has been searching for them ever since. She adored the ones I made on Sunday, and it I may say so myself they were quite delicious! I'll share the recipe soon.

Next Wednesday I'll be on my way to Norway! These holidays will be such a good break after a semester of hard work, and they'll give me much more time to share the amazing places and flavours with you! Here are a few pics from Sunday brunch... I hope you have a great weekend!

Preparing and taste testing

Today I had the pleasure of testing and experimenting with what I might serve tomorrow. For breakfast I tried out a raspberry, musli and greek yogurt parfait, with a glass of sparkling wine and two floating raspberries. This evening I experimented with puff pastry and chocolate, and fell inlove with a raspberry twist to this combination. So i prepared the chocolate rasberry puffs, and put them in the fridge so that i can just pop them in oven tomorrow morning to have them fresh for brunch. I've also been mixing up a batch of cheese and bacon scones, which are now in the oven. I'll put them in the fridge when they've cooled down and hope that they'll still have that beautiful fresh texture when I heat them up in the morning. Tomorrow I'll be making a batch of sweet scones to have with strawberry jam and whipped cream, the raspberry parfaits, some scrambled eggs with spring onion and smoked salmon, and maybe smoked salmon on slices of baguette. But for now I'll share the recipes that I have tried out, and hope that you'll enjoy them as much as I did!

Raspberry parfait

Raspberry parfaits are a healthy and delicious way to start the day, and are pretty easy to make. You can serve these in pretty much any glass that you can eat out of. Today I just used a normal glass, and tomorrow I will use sundae glasses.

Add a thin layer of light Greek yogurt to the bottom of the glass
Sprinkle a very thin layer of sugar.
Add a layer of fresh or frozen raspberries.
Add another layer of yogurt.
Then goes the musli. I used a musli that is glazed with honey and has some nuts. All you need to think about is what will go well with the fruit you include in the parfait. For the raspberries I preferred to have a fruitless musli with some almonds, hazel nuts and pecans.
Add a third layer of yogurt, top with some honey and please child in you by popping a rasberry in the middle ;o)

Chocolate rasberry puff

With this recipe you can make 28 chocolate rasberry puffs.

Ingredients

3 1/2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
100g milk chocolate
Fresh or frozen raspberries

First, shave the chocolate. If you'd like to make your life easier, roughly chopping shuld be fine as long as the pieces are small enough. This might take a while so you might like to put on some good music to keep you entertained :o) putting everything together can also take a while, especially if you're making 40.
Cut the raspberries roughly into quarters.
Use a cookie mould or the top of a glass to cut the pastry into the shape you want.
Add about half a teaspoon of chocolate to each piece of pastry, top with some raspberry.
Stretch the top piece of pastry a little to fit over the other.
Place the pastry on top and press the sides down well with your fingers.
Place in the oven at 200C for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate raspberry puffs are by far at their best when they have just come out of the oven. If you are not going to serve them straight away, they can be put in the fridge until you are ready to use them. Place some baking paper or the sheet that was used to separate the frozen puff pastry between each layer of chocolate raspberry puffs (see bottom left), in an airtight container.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!!!

Brunch to be

Hello again! I have finally emerged from the pile of work that I've had the last few weeks, and this weekend is one to look forward to! Sunday brunch is on the agenda and the menu is quite delightful! And will be the cherry on my birthday cake ;o) what better way to celebrate than with good food and great company? But the question is, what is on the menu?
I have lots of ideas and wish I could do all of them, but my kitchen, dining room table, and tummy suggest otherwise. Here are a few inspirational pictures to make your mouth water until the recipes are posted...

       

Norwegian summer...

Some amazing news is that I will be escaping Perth's winter to spend a month in Norway with my boyfriend and his beautiful family. I can't wait to explore one of the most beautiful places on earth and spend quality time with great people. I'll be sure to go to my favourite places in Oslo, take photos and gives suggestions of the best food that hits my taste buds. Norway really is an amazing place, and Oslo a delight! Everyone should have the opportunity to explore such an amazing country with such charismatic cities and towns, without forgetting the breathtaking nature!

I can't wait to make the most of it, and share it all with you.

Banana and chocolate mousse crepes

Mmmmmmm this little delight was discovered during the summer holidays in Mauritius, and is a delicious way to finish any left over chocolate mousse. Just whip up some crepes, slice a banana, and enjoy one of the most heavenly things that has ever entered your mouth!

Crepes are pretty easy to make without following recipe I usually just play it by ear. For two I would use about two cups of self raising flour, a pinch of salt and 3 tbsp of sugar. Mix this up and Then make the usual hole in the middle and add 2 eggs. Mix them in, preferably with a whisk and then slowly add the milk and water while mixing. 3/4 cup of water should do the job, and then just add milk until the mixture runs well but still holds a little thickness to make a beautiful thin crepe spread across the pan. Some like their crepes a bit thinker than others, so feel free to experiment and add more milk or water if you'd prefer a thinner crepe, just be careful not to over do the liquid, as it can get quite lumpy if you add more flour to the mix. My special touch is to always add a few drops of vanilla essence to the batter, and believe me it makes a beautiful difference! Not as much in crepes as in crumpets though. Mmm how the perfect crumpet is devine! Back to the crepes, just fry them in a little butter, and if you prefer add a little melted butter to the batter. When your crepes are ready, add a layer of sliced banana topped with a layer of chocolate mousse. Wrap... Devour! I will definitely post a picture of this mouth watering delight the next time I make them, but until then... Bonne appétit!

Cheese and ham scones

Sorry I've been away for so long! I've just had so much work to do lately, and have a lot more for the next two weeks, but I'll try to at least post a few little delights. I have not made these scones since I was last in Norway, but I remember them being absolutely scrumptious! Soft with a slight crunch, and full of flavour!! The next time I make them I'll be sure to take a mouth watering picture. I seem to have written the recipe down a little oddly, but I'll try to improvise, and will correct it if need be when I make them.

Ingredients


Your favourite cheese grated, 1 cup
Ham (or cooked bacon) slices cut into small squares, about 3/4 cup (optional)
6 dl of Flour
Flat tbsp Baking powder

3/4 tsp Sugar
Some salt, pepper and a few drops of tabasco70g Margarine
3dl Milk
2 Eggs
Tomato slices to serve

• Preheat your oven to 200 C.
• Mix up the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper).
• Stir in the margarine with a whisk.
• Make a hole in the middle and slowly add the milk and eggs while stirring well.
• Add the cheese and ham and mix well.
• Pop your mix into a greased muffin tray, or in blobs on a sheet of baking paper.
• Pop them in the oven, and they should be ready about 25 minutes later.
• Let them cool under under a dish cloth to keep in the moisture.
• Break in half and serve with a slice of tomato and a pinch of salt.

Mmmmm... My mouth is watering at the memory this! If it wasn't so late I'd probably whip up a batch now. I hope you enjoy this! And please let me know :o)

Bonne appétit!

Aubergine gratin

The first time I tasted anything like this was at a school retreat in Mauritius. We were at a beautiful hotel in north of the island and had lunch after a conference. Imagine this, a huge pool, palm trees, the sea is a minute away, water flowing over pebbles as you walk to your table, an air of relaxation. The blend of the beautiful atmosphere and divine taste was incredible! I had to make this! A friend of mine told me that her mother had a similar recipe, and I've adapted it in many ways since. A huge thanx to Laetitia and her mom, my taste buds have been marveled ever since ;o)

Today I made a vegetarian version of the recipe that I haven't tried before, i must say it turned out delicious! I might try another order in placing the ingredients next time, and if it's better, I'll let you know! This meal take about 2 hours to prepare and 30 minutes in the oven, but really is worth the time spent in the kitchen. It delicious as a left over as well.

Ingredients

1 Large aubergine
5 Round tomatoes (the ones I used are not very big, if yours are quite big 2 might do the job)
1 Tin diced tomatoes
Thyme
Parsley
1/2 Onion
1 Clove garlic
Olive oil
Flour
Butter
Milk
Salt and pepper
Grated mixed cheese (mine included mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar, as long as you have some mozzerella it should be great)

Bread, butter and side salad to serve

An alternative can include minced beef, and/or lasagne sheets

• Wash and slice the aubergine. Fill a big bowl with water and some salt, place the aubergine in the salt water for a few minutes, try to place the aubergine in a way that they are submerged, and turn if necessary so that all parts soak. The water will turn a brown colour as shown in the photo above, this removes the bitterness.
• Put a generous amount of oil into a big pan on medium heat. Put some flour into a plate and dab both sides the aubergine slices into the flour before putting them into the pan to fry (shown above). Do not put on high heat, otherwise the aubergine will burn and not cook inside. Raw aubergine is not pleasant.
• When the aubergine becomes soft, remove from the pan and place on paper toweling to remove excess oil (shown above). Be careful not to overcook the aubergine, otherwise they will become moushy and may fall apart. The texture will not be very nice.

•  Carry on cooking you aubergines slices (this will take several batches), you will probably need to add more oil for every batch. Start on the rougaille (creole sauce) while continuing to cook the aubergine slices.
• Heat a little olive oil in a smaller pan. Add sliced onion, thyme, parsley, and garlic. This is when you would add in the minced beef if you would like to include it.

• A few minutes later, add 2 chopped tomatoes. When they have cooked a bit add the diced tinned tomatoes and some salt. Put it on low heat and let it simmer. Stir every few minutes and add some water once or twice when the mixture becomes thicker to keep it more liquid.
• Preheat the oven at about 200 C.
• Now the sauce blanche. A simple recipe is to add the same amount of butter and flour. Today I added about 2-3 table spoons of each. Let the butter melt and then stir in the flour. Use a whisk and keep stirring. Add milk little by little while stirring constantly. Once your sauce is ready, set aside and add salt and pepper, and then cheese. Do not add the cheese if it is boiling. Today I did not add cheese to the sauce, but if you do, make the sauce a little thinner than you want it because the cheese will thicken it.
• Slice the remaining 3 tomatoes.
•  Spread the rougaille over the bottom of an oven dish, place the aubergine slices over this, and the tomato slices over them (as shown below). Salt and pepper the tomatoes and pour the sauce blanche over them. Sprinkle your cheese over the top and pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown. If you would like to add include lasagne sheets you will need a deeper pan and about double of everything, place one at the bottom of the dish, then thinly layer the ingredients as mentioned above, add another layer of lasagne sheets, another layer of all ingredients, a third layer of lasagne sheets and a little white sauce over that layer, topping with cheese. For the lasagne recipe I suggest that you add some cheese to the sauce blanche, and no extra cheese within the layers, but just a sprinkle on the top of the dish. Having ingredients of liquid form on top of each layer of lasagne sheets means that it should be fine to not precook the sheets, and simply follow time and temperature oven instructions on the box.
• Prepare a side salad and warm some bread in the oven for a minute or two before serving with butter.

Enjoy!!